In Nouméa, regional French cuisine boasts originality to offer diverse culinary specialties every week. Plum tart, lentil stew, vanilla crème brûlée. Chefs love playing off Caledonian flavors to come up with new version of French classics, or else they are prepared according to the purest tradition.

Taxi boats

Do you love the sea, but you don’t have the soul of a great sailor? Don’t worry! In New Caledonia, you can take a taxi-boat like a bus! The islets are a short trip away for an afternoon or for a whole weekend. Just choose where you want to wear your pareo!

Nouméa, the capital city of New Caledonia is on the ocean. Several bays extend along the city, providing magnificent beaches and points of view. Besides its natural features, Nouméa also has very attractive cultural offerings for tourists who choose to visit there.

From Ouvéa to the Isle of Pines, passing through Lifou, Tiga and Maré, the five islands bordering the Mainland, Grande Terre to the East are yet more gems to discover. From the blue hole of Hanawa at Ouvéa to the Warrior’s Leap at Wakone on Maré, via the Jokin Cliffs at Lifou or the Oro Bay on the Isle of Pines, let yourself be amazed!

The West Coast of the mainland (Grande Terre) shows off a great variety of scenery from its northern tip down to the area surrounding Nouméa. Characterised by both large spaces favouring cattle farming and a lagoon of stunning beauty, the West Coast is also host to a rich cultural heritage.

The central mountain range of the Mainland (Grande Terre) is a natural boundary, overlooking the very different faces of the East and West Coasts. Exposed to strong winds and therefore more humid, the eastern coast offers scenery with sumptuous flora. With a population of largely Melanesian origin, the East Coast has also retained a particularly charming flavour of authenticity.

The Great South, comprising the Mont-Dore and Yaté municipalities, is the most symbolic region for New Caledonia’s three main colours: blue, green and red. From the rainforest to the mining lands there are a thousand shades of green, while the ocean offers a dazzling palette of blues. But if one colour dominates the Great South, it is the specific red of its ground.

Gouaro Lighthouse

Near the path of the three bays, and overlooking Roche Percée Beach and the Nera estuary, the ruins of the Gouaro lighthouse remind us that, for decades, access to Bourail was principally by sea.

The plan to set up a permanent penal colony in Bourail made it essential to enable regular supplies to the site. Access to Bourail Bay being treacherous, the construction of an instrument to guide the way became necessary.

Originally, it was built with two beams, one white and one red, the first directed towards the keeper’s house, and the second across the hillside. Mariners used the alignment of the beams to guide their ships through the channel into port. A third beam, a green one, located at the outer edge of the Roche Percée, on the Nera side, defined the mooring area.

To light your path

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One of the most beautiful views in the Bourail region!

So, once the passengers had a landing place, they would pile their merchandise onto barges to ferry it up the Nera towards the village. The unloading point was, by the way, located almost at the point where the village museum stands today. Nowadays, all that remains of the lighthouse is the keeper’s house and the steeple that used to contain the lantern (the white beam). A wrought iron staircase still gives access to the roof. Take it: You will discover one of the most beautiful views the region has to offer!